Lost Hope
by Fairy in a Pink Shirt
Summary: Sometimes, I wish you just left me alone...but then if you left me, I suppose I'd just be lost... Gin x OC. Sequel to Blind Hope.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach, or any of its characters, as they all belong to Tite Kubo. Also, I do not own Kohana Hisakane, as this character belongs to SetoBatman. However, I _do_ own _my_ O.C.'s, which are Nozomi Ayase, and Nenshou Namida.

-Chapter One: From Black To White-

Nozomi sighed heavy-heartedly as she and the three Espada leaders floated in the black abyss toward a light that caused her to squint. Even though the trip was short, Gin still had his tight grip affixed around her waist. It's like he didn't trust her enough to stay with him of her own will, even though she couldn't go anywhere either way. If she decided to escape, it would most likely mean certain death.

"Ah, good. We're almost there."

Aizen was the first to speak after a short period. He turned his head to look back at her, smiling slyly.

"Are you excited, Nozomi-chan? This will be your first time in Las Noches."

She gave him a look of annoyance and looked away, slightly pushing up her jaw in seriousness. Just then, she felt Gin's fingers under her chin, directing her eyes to his face.

"Cheer up, my little Nozomi. I'm sure you'll just _love_ Hueco Mundo."

"What do these names mean? Las Noches and Hueco Mundo."

Unfamiliar with Spanish, Nozomi wondered what the words that Gin and Aizen said meant.

"The place where we live is called 'Las Noches en Hueco Mundo', meaning 'The Nights of the Hollow World'."

"I…see. So, are there Hollows in this 'Hollow World'?"

"Something like that…"

Nozomi wasn't prepared for the place that she was about to be brought into. She and the group of men entered the blinding light that was Las Noches. After her eyes adjusted to the change of brightness around her, she realized that the world was actually a dreary, dimly lit place, though it didn't surprise her at all. Since the name of the world seemed to be a place where Hollows most likely roamed, it's expected that it would be kind of dark.

"Nozomi-chan, welcome to Las Noches."

Gin said to her from behind as she stepped down from the platform of rock she was on. Everyone walked ahead of her as she slowly followed, looking up at the gloomy sky. She could have sworn it was daytime when they left Seireitei, and the trip to this godforsaken place wasn't very long. Did that mean this place would always be under an endless twilight?

"Gin, I'm going to go see the progress on our _current project_. Would you please go find Ulquiorra to take care of Nozomi-chan?"

"Of course, Aizen-sama. Nozomi, come with me, please."

Uneasily, the grey-eyed girl followed her superior into a white building and down a long hallway. She continued to stare at the back of him, having so many questions to ask him. Why did he kidnap her? What made him leave Rangiku behind? She opened her mouth, ready to speak, but was stopped by hearing his voice.

"Ah, Ulquiorra, there you are."

Nozomi came around to the side of Gin to see a pale-skinned young man a bit older than her dressed in an all-white uniform, an exact opposite of what she and her superior wore. The first thing that caught her attention was his piercing green, cat-like eyes. He had black, almost shoulder-length hair, blue streaks of makeup going down his face as if they were tears, and a strange, broken Hollow-type mask on half of his head. Another strange thing that caught her attention was the black hole in his neck. Was this guy a Hollow?

"You needed me, Gin-sama?"

"Would you please show Nozomi here to her room?"

"Yes, sir."

Gin swiftly walked away, leaving Nozomi in the care of Ulquiorra, who also walked away in the other direction.

"Nozomi-san, please follow me."

"Oh, right…"

He never said anything to her as she followed him around this strange place. The pure white hallways were so uncomfortable to her. It made her miss Seireitei dearly.

"U-um…Ulquiorra-san? Are you…some type of…Hollow?"

"To be precise, I am a blend of a Soul Reaper _and_ a Hollow. I am much stronger than any shinigami. I am what's known as an _Arrancar_."

She stopped. He's a person that is a blend of two things that are exact opposites? How is that possible?

"Nozomi-san?"

"Oh, sorry…If you don't mind my asking, Ulquiorra-san, is this why Aizen-tai…uh…s-sama betrayed the thirteen court guard squads?"

She felt so awkward using a different honorific when referring to Aizen. He was no longer a captain, but a _lord_. Either way, he was still her superior.

"Yes. Aizen-sama could not achieve the process of 'Hollowfication' as a captain of the Soul Society."

"What's…'Hollowfication'?"

"It is the process of a Soul Reaper becoming a Hollow, therefore increasing the strength of that being."

"I see…Are there…more Arrancar than just you?"

"Of course."

The jet black-haired man honestly answered all of her questions. He seemed like a very cold person, having her wonder if this "Hollowfication" process made him this way, or if he had always been this reserved. He suddenly stopped in front of a colorless door that matched the rest of the hallway, getting her attention.

"Here are your living quarters for the remainder of the time you'll be in Las Noches."

"Um…thank you. Uh…Is it alright if I can go see…Gin-sama?"

"Well, I'm sure he's busy at the moment, so now wouldn't be the best time."

"Oh…I see…"

Nozomi felt a little let down from Ulquiorra's cold words. She felt so lost in this place without Gin by her side to help her. True, she hated him for bringing her here, but she had no choice but to rely on him.

"In the meantime, you should settle in here. I'm sure Aizen-sama would want to see you at a later time. If you have any further questions, feel free to either ask me or any of the other Espada."

"E-Espada? Is that…a special Arrancar?"

"We're a handful of Arrancar selected by Aizen-sama, deemed superior over the lesser Arrancar."

"I…see."

All the information the emerald-eyed man was giving to her was getting a bit confusing to hear all at once. She thanked him again and bowed to him. He left her to look around in her room, which was as plain as the rest of the place.

"Well…at least there's a window."

She propped up her elbows so she could rest her chin in the palms of her hands. Even though there was a window to look out of, there wasn't really much to look at. This world seemed dark and dead, totally opposite of Seireitei. It was completely different from her third division barracks, where she knew so many cheerful and happy people. I sigh escaped her lips as she closed her eyes. Why did she have to be brought here?

"Hey, girl, Aizen-sama wants ta see ya."

A voice at the door caused her to turn around. Standing in the doorway was a well-toned man with light blue, spiked hair. He had a look of arrogance about him, from the expression on his face to the way he stood. He also had eye makeup on, but it was just a little blue on the corners of his eyes. It reminded her of the crimson on Ikkaku's eyes. He had some sort of mouth-like mask on the right side of his face, like an animal's set of teeth. Like Ulquiorra, he wore an all white uniform, but his was like an opened jacket, showing his upper body much more. It really helped her see the gaping hole in his stomach.

"Um…who might you be?"

"Grimmjow Jeagerjaques. What's it to ya?"

"Well, Grimmjow-san, you should knock before coming into a girl's room first."

"Ya know, you got a lotta guts fer talkin' to me like that."

The two stared each other down for a few moments. Knowing that this was getting nowhere, and didn't want to keep Aizen waiting, Grimmjow finally said:

"Look, if it bothers you so much, I'll next time, okay? Now, can we just go? Aizen can be a real asshole sometimes."

"Trust me, I know."

She walked out of her room, following the unrefined man. She wasn't quite sure whether she liked him or not.

"Please, come in, Nozomi."

Grimmjow had led Nozomi into a large, yet dark room with numerous scientific tools and materials. It looked like some twisted operation room in a horror movie hospital. The blue-haired arrancar stood by the door, allowing the unsure woman move closer to Aizen, who was in the middle of the room in front of an operating table.

Once she was right behind him, he stepped aside to reveal what was on the metal table. Lying there, naked and in a deep coma, was a woman possibly older than her. She had messy hair that came to her shoulders. The top half of her hair was pink, while the underside was blood red. She looked so pale and cold, and she was hooked up to so many machines. Was she some kind of test subject?

"Do you recognize this woman, Nozomi? Oh…perhaps not. You came to Seireitei just a little after I had brought her here."

"Was she…a Shinigami?"

"Yes. Her name is Hisakane Kohana, and she used to be the fourth seat of eleventh division."

Nozomi's eyes widened as she remembered what her friend Yumichika had told her about the woman Zaraki taichou was in love with. _Her name was Hisakane Kohana. You could say she was Zaraki Taichou's girlfriend. She was also the longest-staying female member of our division._

"I thought…she was dead?"

"Well, of course we had to use that as a cover. I'm sure Zaraki wouldn't agree with us taking her for experimentation."

The grey-eyed girl couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was afraid to hear the answer to the question she was going to ask.

"What is this…'experimentation' you're putting her through?"

"The process of turning a Soul Reaper into an Arrancar: 'Hollowfication'."

"……Why would you do this?"

"Is something the matter, Aizen-sama?"

Gin walked closer to the two. He had been standing close by keeping an eye on them. Suddenly, Nozomi began to tremble as tears rolled down her cheeks

"What did this girl ever do to you to make you do this to her?! It's inhumane! This isn't right, Aizen!"

"If you realized how much of a bother this girl was to my plans, you would understand why I did this to her. Besides, when the process is complete and she wakes up, she won't remember a thing of her past."

On instinct, Nozomi began pulling the wires and tubes off of Kohana. Aizen stood idly by, allowing Gin and Grimmjow to hold her back.

"Let go of me! It's wrong to put a living thing through such torture! I've got to get her out of here!"

"I wouldn't attempt that, dear Nozomi. If Kohana is moved in the state she's in, it would surely be fatal for her, and for you."

"You're a twisted man Aizen! I'm going to get her out of here! I'd rather _die_ if I have to lose my memory to become stronger!"

She continued to thrash and kick out of distress. She didn't know what else she could do.

"Gin, I told you it was too soon to expose this to her."

"Yes, Aizen-sama. Nozomi, if you don't calm down, I'll have to--"

"NO! LET GO OF ME!"

She elbowed Gin in the stomach, making him let go of her right arm. She attempted to swing at Grimmjow, but he was quick enough to grab her wrist and push her down.

"Get off of me, you—Aaah!…ah…"

She slowly stopped resisting once she felt a sudden stab in her arm. Aizen had given her a drug that made her feel drowsy. Grimmjow knew it was alright to get off her now and stood up.

"I warned you, Nozomi. I'll see you in a few hours."

"Ba…stard…"

Everything grew dark as she drifted off. The last thing she could remember was the three men standing over her, watching her as she fell into a deep sleep.

"Gin, take her back, please."

"Yes, Aizen-sama."

Gin scooped her into his arms. She felt lighter than the last time he picked her up.

"Oh, and that uniform doesn't suit her at all. I'll send something to her room that's a bit…nicer."

He nodded in agreement before leaving with Nozomi in his arms. He stared at her for a while as she lay still in her bed, breathing peacefully. Her behavior was so foolish. He hoped she got over it soon.

(End of Ch 1)

A/N: Gin should avoid Nozomi…She causes him a lot of pain lol. Oh noes! Kohana's a guinea pig! Lol (please read _Flowers _and especially_ Petals _by SetoBatman to get what's going on in this) Anyhoo this is ch. 1 to the sequel. I'm not 100 in love with it (or the title lol) but, tell me what you guys think. I just finished this yesterday, so…yeah. Chapter two coming soon!


End file.
